Do you even have a semblance?
by QroZpinTheDoctorTorchwick
Summary: Huntsman Roman Torchwick is dead. Suicide by a long fall. He dies in the arms of his childhood friend Cinder, the only one who knew his secret. Three months later, Cinder, now a part of Ozpin's inner circle, receives reports of an orange haired "demon", killing criminals. But soon his targets shift to innocents, and she is tasked to capture him. Will she do it, or die trying? AU.
1. Chapter 1

Have you ever had such a bad day, that it completely changes the way you see the world? I hope not. Because for me, it became way too literal. In Fact, the way I viewed the world didn't just change, but the world itself changed. You see...my name's Roman Torchwick, and one year ago I didn't have a semblance. In fact, I was kind of...dead. But, today, I'm alive, and...I sort of blew up the moon.

 **One year ago**

The stench of blood permeated the pressurized cabin of the dropship. A faint sobbing could be heard over the dull rumble of the engines. Five people, two standing, one lying on a gourney, another crouched over the previous, and finally, a tall, gangly man, who was sitting flat against a bulkhead, his eyes wide, his white coat stained crimson with blood, not his own, and burnt, shredded gloves that hung loosely from his hands.

On the floor, one of his closest friends. Her eyes, void of life and emotion, stared into his, as if to affirm his own accusations.

 _It's my fault. It's all my fault!_ He thought to himself.

Her vibrant, green, hair, soaked with her own blood, clung tightly to her head, the occasional drop of crimson falling to the floor where a small puddle was forming.

 _I'm so sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, just stop looking at me please!'_ He begged internally.

Her right arm laid limp on the cold hard metal, the steadily growing pool of blood following her arm as if it was a conductor leading a marching band.

He flinched as the memory of her last moments flashed through his mind.

The gaping hole that her left arm once inhabited had been oozing blood like a volcano, tears streamed down her cheeks, and that damned throb. Of all the sounds that wouldn't leave him, the sound of her heart, beating rapidly, panicked from the pain and exposure, constantly pounded in his ears.

The sight of it nearly made him gag. Another gaping hole, this one nearly engulfing her entire chest, exposing her vital organs, and out of all of them, his eyes always returned to her heart as it pumped itself to death, globs of blood oozing from the aortas.

Emerald Sustrai had died one hour earlier, and her death hadn't been peaceful. She had screamed and begged for them to kill her, to put her out of her misery, that she didn't want to live in such agony any longer. She had gotten her wish in the form of a sudden seizure that had racked her body. Her body had flailed on the floor, a crimson froth forming at her mouth, running from the sides of her mouth. Then, she had simply gone limp, her eyes resting on him. On Roman Torchwick, the man who had let her die.

Tears fell and stained her top. Tears from her lover, Mercury Black. His arms wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her to his chest as he sobbed.

 _It should have been me. I'm sorry._

To his left, Roman glanced movement in the corner of his eye, and chose to ignore it.

A light touch of his shoulder. He flinched hard and turned to his left.

"Roman?"

He opened his mouth as if to respond, but only the sound of choking left him. Then more tears. He buried his face in her stomach and held onto her.

She gently stroked his hair, her free hand rubbing his back as he sobbed.

Cinder Fall, the woman who had grown up with Roman, hadn't seen him cry since they were young. He hadn't cried at when he broke his arm in third grade. He hadn't cried when he had nearly been beaten to death in high school, He didn't even cry at his parent's funeral. To see him cry now as an adult made her feel ill.

She cringed whenever he would breathe, each breath accompanied by shivering.

 **One week later.**

The streets of Vale were always lively, especially at night when sleazy clubs would open their doors to old perverts and young crack addicts looking for a quick bang for their buck, when quite a few diners would restock empty shelves with liquor, neon lights adorning every other shop. At these times of night, the smell of cigarette smoke was almost palpable, as well as the smell of liquor.

As per usual the streets were busy, which in some cities could be surprising, as the weather had turned sour hours ago and a heavy downpour had begun, turning the streets themselves into a strange form of Russian Roulette, where every other car had a chance of hydroplaning, and smashing into the curb. It was nights like these that Roman loved. Cinder knew that.

She hadn't seen heads or tails of him since Emerald's funeral, and that usually meant he was most likely binge drinking at one of the "fancy" dance clubs he frequented, where their childhood friend Junior worked as a bartender, accompanied by his two daughters. Most times she found Roman either black out drunk in Junior's back room, vomiting viscous black liquid, mainly liquor, or halfway through a cigar, and every time he'd drunkenly slur a promise to not do it again.

She folded her umbrella and walked inside, passed a couple who were grinding like slugs against the wall. Inside she set her umbrella on a hat rack, as the container where umbrellas would be placed was usually overflowing on nights like these. She pushed through a generously large crowd to the bar and rang the bell.

"Hey Cinder, looking for Roman?" Junior called over from the other side of the bar.

"Yeah. I'm assuming he's here?"

"I'm not supposed to tell you but yeah, he's upstairs havin' a smoke."

"Thanks Junior." She turned to leave but Junior caught her attention again.

"Cinder, is he okay? He didn't even order a drink when he showed up. What is he sick or something?" He asked, a bit concerned.

"Honestly Junior, I don't know. I'm worried about him. He's been acting strange lately."

He nodded. "Well go make sure my most lucrative customer isn't goin'ta throw himself off my roof, be bad for business." He joked.

She smirked and waved, pushing back through the crowd and to the stairs. She ascended the floors, searching for Roman on each one, each one void of her Orange friend. In the end she could only assume he had gone to the roof, where she decided to try her luck and investigate.

To her luck she found him, sitting on a heater, letting the rain pelt him as he sucked on a fat cigar.

"Knew I'd find you here." She sighed.

"Yeah?"

She nodded. "The only twist here is that you aren't drunk."

"I tried that already, it didn't help."

"That's a shame. Why not come home? We could snuggle up by the fire and watch a movie." She half joked.

He let out a small huff and craned his neck to look at her. "No thanks, you might touch my willy."

"You'd love it."

Though his tone had become playful to match hers, his expression remained the same, empty.

"Roman, what's wrong? You've never acted like this, not since we were kids, what could possibly be eating away at you this badly?"

He sighed and looked back out over the street.

Silence hung between them, the only sound coming from the street below and pitter patter of rain.

"Roman?" She stepped forward.

"I could have saved her." He mumbled.

"What?" She flinched at his response.

"I could have saved her if I wasn't so useless."

"Roman, what are you talking about? You're not useless-"

"Yes I am Cinder. I could have saved her and we'd all be home celebrating a job well done if I wasn't."

She winced as he spoke, as occasionally his voiced cracked.

"If I had just used my semblance I could've done it."

"None of us could have known Roman-"

"It doesn't matter if we knew beforehand! All that matters is I had the chance to do something right for our team and I couldn't!" He yelled.

She swallowed hard. "Roman, can I ask you something?"

He hesitated, then nodded.

"Why didn't you?"

"Use my semblance?"

"Yeah."

"Because I couldn't."

Her brow furrowed. "What do you mean you couldn't?"

"I just couldn't!" He yelled as he stood, and faced her.

"Tell me why. Please Roman?"

He remained silent.

"Were you scared?"

"No! I wasn't scared!"

"Then what else could have stopped you?" At this point she had started getting angry, her voice raising.

"I can't tell you!" He yelled.

"Why?" She yelled back.

"Because I just can't okay?"

She scoffed. "Is this the mysterious crap again? You act like your semblance is some huge secret and y'know what? It's like you don't even have one!" She paused, trying to calm herself but failing. She had to know. "Roman, do you even have a semblance?"

She regretted her question moments later as his shoulders sagged and he dropped his Cigar.

He sighed and pulled his hat off, rubbing the back of his head and chuckled. "To tell the truth Cinder. I don't. And you know what? That's why I'm useless." He turned to look out over the street again.

"Roman, I'm sorry. I didn't know." She said softly.

"It's okay Cinder." He tossed his coat and hat aside and sighed. "Hey Cinder?"  
She looked up.

"I'm sorry too."

As she opened her mouth to ask what he was sorry for, her heart stopped as he backed off over the ledge.

Her body instantly felt infinitely heavy and she fell to her knees. She didn't even realize but she was screaming out to him.

For nearly a full second she heard the normal sounds of the night, then she heard tires screech as they stopped suddenly. And that's when the screams came from below.

 **Hi everyone, QroZpin Here, hope you enjoyed this first chapter to a new story I'm writing called 'Do you even have a semblance?'. As you can tell this is going to get really fucked up, so reader discretion advised. Anyways, if you enjoyed this and have any sort of feedback let me know in the comments below, and check out my other stories...they're also things. Bye for now.**


	2. Chapter 2

His vision was swirling, he was unsure if it was from the rain or from the fall.

He groaned, unable to move, the cool rain peppering his face.

At first, he could hear nothing, then he heard yelling.

' _Useless, can't even kill yourself properly. Quick and easy my ass Roman._ ' He thought to himself.

He closed his eyes and attempted movement. He was surprised when he leaned forward, and even more surprised when he realized two slender hands were pulling him into their lap.

"Roman!"

He flinched.

' _I'm sorry._ ' He thought to himself.

"Roman please stay with me."

He kept his eyes shut. His legs had started going numb, the only feeling coming from them was cold.

"Please Roman! Please don't leave me, I need you!"

' _No you don't_.'

"I love you damnit!"

His heart skipped a beat. He slowly opened his eyes and felt his stomach drop.

Cinder. Her makeup cascading down her face like black waterfalls.

"What?" He asked hoarsely.

"I love you, you fucking idiot!" She sobbed.

He grimaced as he shifted. "Boy...you sure know how to keep a guy waiting dontcha?" He joked.

"What?"

His arm shook as he reached up and moved a clump of her hair from face. "Damnit Cinder. I've always loved you."

She laughed softly between sobs. "Damnit Roman."

She curled her fingers in his shirt, pulling him closer, his head nearly level with hers.

"Hey Cinder?" He whispered.

She nodded.

He cupped her cheek and shakily sat up. "One for the road?"

Through her tears she nodded.

Their lips pressed together, and separated.

"Why did it have to come to this just for me to kiss you?" She mumbled.

No response came, her heart plummeting as reality settled in.

"No, no, no, Roman, please don't! Roman! Roman!" She screamed.

By the time the authorities arrived, Cinder's dress had been soaked in her tears, the rain, and Roman's blood. A small pool had formed around them, a small slick oozing along the sidewalk. His skin had gone cold and clammy, paling as his blood left him.

Cinder hadn't moved, still clinging to his lifeless body as an ambulance arrived, the paramedics rushing over to take his body to the hospital. She refused to let go, screaming, thrashing, and tugging on him, doing everything she could to stop them from taking him.

"Ma'am, please let go!" One of the paramedics, a short, young, faunus yelled.

"Don't take him away please! Don't take him from me!"

She cocked her fist back, poised to strike, but thankfully, her arm was held back by the wrist, and an arm had curled around to hold her back, allowing the paramedics to take Roman's body into the ambulance.

As the doors shut, the emergency vehicle rushing off, lights flashing, siren blaring, Cinder screamed after them for several minutes, her throat growing hoarse, and eventually she was coughing and barely able to speak.

She sobbed quietly as she was brought inside the club, now devoid of dancers, only the staff present, and given a blanket to wrap around herself.

The owner of the arm sat beside her, Junior, who's usually young and cheerful face, seemed to have aged dramatically, the crows feet around his eyes seemed more prominent, his eyes themselves seemed to have sunken into the sockets. His thick black beard was peppered with the occasional grey or even white hair.

"I'm sorry Cinder." Junior whispered.

She opened her mouth, but only sobs came, and she buried her face in Juniors shoulder.

The funeral had been small, attended by a few of the bar patrons who Roman had become friends with, Junior, Cinder, Mercury, Junior's daughters, and a rather annoying crow whose cawing somehow seemed louder than the seemingly torrential downpour that had plagued the city since Roman's death.

The priest, a member of Beacon's high tier teams, stepped forward.

"In the Name of Monty, the merciful Father, we commit the body of Roman Anthony Torchwick to the peace of the grave." He began. In his left hand, a bible, and his right a vial of fire dust.

He slowly looked to Cinder.

She hesitated, her eyes resting on Roman's peaceful face, wishing she had told him sooner. With a reluctant sigh, she nodded.

The casket was gently closed.

He nodded back, setting the bible aside and opening the vial. "Roman Anthony Torchwick, from dust you came, and to dust you shall return, but may you be at peace knowing you have touched our hearts, our minds, and our souls, and may you be content in knowing you will always be a part of our family, in life and death." He tipped the vial over and the dust falling in a small plume and covering the outer layer of wood.

"Cinder, Mercury, would you like the honors?"

Mercury turned to Cinder who nodded and they stepped forward.

He presented two matches, already lit, the small flames twinkling like tiny stars.

Cinder took hers, and Mercury his, and turned to Roman's casket. They held the matches high. "Here's to the dead, and to the next man to die."

They let the matches fall. When they connected with the dust, his casket was engulfed by the flames. They stood in silence as the wood casket burned away to reveal an obsidian one beneath.

When it was over, Mercury and Cinder remained a few steps from Roman's grave as the others left.

"Cinder?" He mumbled.

"Yeah Merc?"

"I want you to know I never blamed him. Can you promise me something?"

She nodded.

"No more funerals." He whispered, his voice breaking, becoming a soft sob.

She smiled softly and patted his back. "Okay Merc. No more funerals."

They turned, and followed the others.

She smiled as they left, her appearance not tipping them off to her true identity as she passed them. To them, she was just a simple old woman most likely coming to see her husband's grave.

At first she approached a grave with what would be considered the "correct" age of her late husband, if he hadn't died more than a century ago.

She waited.

When the funeral goers all finally left, she stood, and slowly approached the freshly dug grave.

"I'm sorry Roman, but your time is not over. You still have a part to play in the coming days, and I will need you by my side first."

As she spoke, a purple hue enveloped her, the hue becoming pure energy, crackling around her, then it began to surge into his headstone.

The very earth beneath her seemed to pulse with life, a faint purple glow shining through.

She lifted her left arm into the sky and placed her right on his headstone.

"Now Roman, my first order as your new queen, I-"

The sky rumbled.

"COMMAND-"

A savage crack of thunder.

"YOU TO-"

A flicker.

"RISE!" She roared as a violent streak of lightning cut a swathe through the sky and connected with her arm, the energy surging into the grave.

She screamed in agony as a flash of white light sent her tumbling away from the grave, coming to a stop under a small tree.

 **One week ago, Unknown.**

"Where am I?" He mumbled to himself.

"In line."

"In line?" He asked.

"Hey buddy, you know as much as I do."

His vision was still cloudy, and he felt like every limb was made of lead. _Must be sedatives. Probably hallucinating from them too.'_ He thought to himself.

"I'm afraid you're not in a hospital friend."

He looked up at the blurry form in front of him.

"You're dead."

He chuckled. "Bullshit. I'm alive. Cinder probably has me in the hospital, I'm probably talking to a vending machine right now."

"Well, that's one way to put it."

"Wait is this some sort of prank? Merc, that you?"

"Why Roman, don't you get it?" The form seemed to get closer.

"Get what?"

"You're dead. You killed yourself." The form seemed to reach up, and Roman felt a warm sensation on his forehead.

"Blink."

He did, and his vision was no longer blurry.

The world around him seemed to fade away, and was replaced by darkness.

"What the hell is this?" He yelled.

"The afterlife. Welcome to eternity ."

Roman sighed, glaring at the far "wall", if you could even call it that. It was more of a void than wall, it seemed almost impossible how dark it was, almost as if it absorbed the rooms very light. That was another issue, the light. The room didn't have a lightbulb or anything that could generate light, yet somehow light streamed in during what he could only assume was day, then faded and vanished during what he assumed was night.

He didn't know if this artificial day/night cycle was accurate to the real sun or not, but he hoped so, as he counted the days. He was surprised, it had been a week since he'd arrived, and yet, even though he could have sworn he was dehydrated and starving, he remained unchanged, and somehow, still alive.

' _This truly is hell, isn't it_?' He thought to himself.

He had heard the voice that had greeted him telling the same schpeel to whom he could only assume were other people.

Unlike him, they took it quite literally, reality hitting them hard, and they screamed, begging to go back, for another chance, promising they'd be good, screaming until he heard their very vocal cords severe themselves from the strain.

Every so often his room would move, or at least it felt that way to him.

Today though, something was off, something didn't feel right.

At some point in the "day", a woman had appeared in his room, he hadn't even noticed her arrive, and the voice hadn't come to greet her, which it did for everyone else the moment they arrived.

He was hesitant to speak to her, but eventually he spoke. "Excuse me, ma'am, do you know where you are?"

"Yes Roman." She answered quickly.

He wondered how she knew his name but dropped it. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to offer you a second chance, at not only life, but being useful. I'm here to give you a semblance Roman."

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please your feedback, witty comments, sly remarks, criticism, and or hate in the comments below, I look forward to reading anything you guys have to say, anyways, see you in the next chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

"The offer is tempting, but what do you get out of it?" He asked.

His caution appeared to amuse her, a small smirk creeping into her expression.

"You're quite perceptive for your kind."

He chuckled.

"So are you refusing?" She asked, slowly gliding to her feet.

"I'll be honest, I'm neither refusing, or accepting."

She nodded. "When you have made your decision, I will return."

He sighed and looked up, mouth agape. She was gone, the same as she had appeared, as if she had never truly been there at all.

Rain. Her favorite, and now, her most hated weather. When she was little, she used to dance around in the cold afternoon rain any chance she could after preschool, her mother always warning her not to stay out too long, if she didn't want to catch a cold. Other times, she forgot her raincoat, and the teacher would send him out after her.

In her pale hand, a relic, of a better time in her life, when her friends, her _family_ were still whole. It had been taken years ago by her mother, when her team had graduated from Beacon Academy. He had always been by her side for as long as she could remember. At first, she thought of him as only her friend, but as the years passed them by, she came to realize she was slowly falling for the orange haired idiot.

 _Why didn't I tell you sooner?_ She wondered.

On many occasions they had some drunken... _fun,_ but it had never gone farther than cuddling, games, and the occasional playful flirting.

 _It hurts._

Her chest was tightening as the memories rolled on. Her heart felt as if it had shattered.

 _First Emmy, and now you._

She sniffled, holding back her tears.

 _It's my fault._

A small, round, and clear, stain appeared on the photo. She turned to keep the rain from ruining the photo, but it wasn't the rain. She shuddered as she realized, they were tears. They rolled gracefully down her cheeks, and down her nose, the occasional droplet falling from the tip.

 _I miss you._

She let go of her umbrella, letting it roll to the side, as she leaned against a support column. She slid to the ground and covered her mouth as more choked sobs escaped her.

She held the photo to her chest.

"We'll need to find your successor soon." She said callously as they continued on.

He houghed, watching as his warm breath swirled in the cool air. "Do we have to speak of this now?" He asked, obviously annoyed.

"Yes." Her tone shifted to something akin to a mashup of worry and pity. "You're not getting any healthier, and at our age, you're lucky you're even still standing."

He opened his mouth to deliver his rebuttal when a bolt of pain wracked his body, sending him into a coughing fit.

"Ozpin!"

He fell to his knees, doubled over, his whole body shaking.

"Ozpin!" She screamed.

It sounded as if he was coughing up a lung.

With every cough, he sucked in as much air as he could, only achieving small, shuddered breaths. At the back of his throat he could taste a coppery, metallic liquid.

 _Not now._ He told himself. _I'm not ready._

His eyes still rested on the far wall.

 _Still the same old wall._ He told himself.

It had been a few days since the woman had appeared, and her offer still hung in his mind, festering, growing like a tumor.

"Out of all these people, why me?" He wondered aloud.

"Because, you are unique."

He glanced to his side and saw the woman again.

"How am I unique?"

She slowly looked to him. "You're the only being here to have been born without a semblance."

"I'm the only one?" He asked softly.

She nodded.

His brow furrowed. "And how does that make me special, compared to everyone here?"

She giggled lightly. "Not special. All beings are special. You're unique Roman."

He chuckled.

"I'll let you choose."

"What?"

"I'll let you choose your semblance."

He stared at the porcelain woman for what felt like an eternity in itself, before shutting his eyes. "Will I be able to see Cinder?"

She had stumbled upon them by accident she she had started walking home. She helped to keep the old man from passing out as the woman she assumed was his wife called for paramedics.

When they had arrived, they loaded him into the ambulance and asked the woman for a name, to which she replied "Professor Ozpin."

The paramedic's skin paled, then he started barking orders to his colleagues.

"Ma'am please get in." The paramedic had told the old woman.

The woman in turn told Cinder to come with her. She complied, her mind having been shellshocked.

As they rode to the hospital, Cinder kept glancing from the old man to the old woman, her mind racing at a million miles a second.

When they had arrived, several doctors and nurses wheeled the old man away.

She exited with the old woman who beckoned her to follow as she went inside.

As the old woman checked in at the receptionist desk, Cinder walked over to the waiting area and took a seat, and soon the elderly woman joined her.

They had sat in palpable silence for several minutes before the old woman turned to her and asked, "Do you know who I am?"

Cinder sheepishly smiled. "I think I do. If that man was who you said he was, then you must be professor Goodwitch."

The elderly woman smiled and nodded. "Sadly I don't teach anymore, so please, just call me Glynda, Cinder."

"Yes ma'am. Wait, you remember me?" Cinder asked, a tad bewildered.

"Of course, what kind of professor would I be if I forgot my student's names." She chuckled. "It's been what, ten, fifteen years?"

"Eleven."

Glynda chuckled warmly. "Must be strange seeing me now."

"Sort of. I mean you kind of got old." Cinder chuckled.

"I got wrinkles and grey hair, but I'm still a hardass teacher at heart." She winked.

"You were more of a badass than a hardass Glynda."

Glynda's smile grew slightly and she patted Cinder's shoulder. "Thank you honey, that means a lot."

She nodded, and slowly her eyes drifted to the far off doors they had taken the old man through. "What's happened to him?" She asked softly.

Glynda sighed. "Carcinoma."

Cinder furrowed her brow, visibly confused.

"Lung cancer." Glynda said softly.

"Oh my god...Glynda, I'm so sorry."

"So am I, that dumb old man spends even more time working now than he should be."

"That's Ozpin for you." Cinder said softly.

"Anyways, how is your team? Have you and Roman married yet?" Glynda asked.

Cinder's cheeks were dusted pink with embarrassment. "Uh, sadly no, how did you-"

"Honey, when you've been married as long as I have, you start to realize how obvious kids can be. I honestly am surprised you two never just went at each other in class."

"Glynda!" Cinder yelped sheepishly.

"Oh come on, tell me you're at least dating!" Glynda chuckled.

Cinder opened her mouth, then froze. Tears rolled down her cheeks like tiny streams.

Glynda slowly glanced over at Cinder and felt her heart sink a little.

"What happened?" Glynda asked softly.

"He's gone Glynda. He committed suicide. He died in my arms, and I couldn't save him!" Cinder cried.

Glynda winced as her heart dropped again. She pulled Cinder to her, and held her as the young woman sobbed.

"I couldn't save him!" Cinder's sobbed.

"Shh, shh, shh. It's okay. I'm sure he's in a better place." Glynda cooed softly.

"I've made my decision." He said softly.

She appeared again, as if she had always been there and he hadn't looked hard enough to see her. She turned and she smiled. "Wonderful, what have you decided?"

He shuddered as the words were caught in his throat. He shut his eyes and forced them out. "Deal."

 **Hi everyone, QroZ here, hope you're enjoying this so far, leave a comment below (if you want), doesn't matter if they're positive or negative, bring them on! Anyways, hope to see you guys in the next chapter, till then, see ya next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

The rain pattered the glass, coating the smooth surface in a shimmering wall of water.

In days far gone, days like this, she'd relax on the dorm's couch, and read as her friends would distract themselves with the gore and carnage of their games. She shuddered as she sighed. She missed those days, when her family was whole.

Her heart ached as her thoughts once more shifted to Roman. She couldn't help but imagine their lives together if he'd lived, if she had been by his side when he entered that bar.

As images of a life she ached for drifted through her mind, she paused on one in particular, Roman's smile as she would wake, his warm jade eyes looking deep into her own as he would stroke her cheek. She smiled softly, before letting the image drift away once more.

His faded brown eyes rested on his former student as he slowly took in the traumas she had suffered.

The warmth of Glynda's hand slowly caught his attention. She too focused on their student, apprehension palpably radiating from her still form.

He shakily inhaled and sighed, lightly tapping her hand to garner her attention.

Their eyes met, his ancient heart aching from the blades time.

"It's time." He said softly.

Glynda sighed and stood.

"Glynda?" He whispered.

She paused and looked to him.

"I love you."

She smiled. "I love you too."

He watched as her slim form glided into the hall.

Glynda silently reentered, Cinder close behind.

He smiled warmly at his former student, weakly reaching up and patting her cheek.

"I'm sorry about Roman and Emerald. If I had heard sooner, I would have attended." He said softly.

She smiled softly, whispering her thanks.

His smile faded slowly as he let out a heavy sigh. He looked to Glynda who gripped his other hand tightly. She nodded.

His gaze slowly shifted back to Cinder. " , in better circumstances, I'd wait for a more appropriate time and place, but it seems we won't have the luxury of either, as time has finally begun to sink it's fangs into me."

She shivered and whispered"Don't say that, you're the mighty Professor Ozpi-"

"My child." He interrupted softly. "Neither you, nor I, wish for this. Sadly, time is inescapable. That's why I must ask of you to undertake an immense responsibility, one that I regretfully must inform you...is more dangerous than any challenge you've faced before." He paused, as he let out a hoarse cough, flecks of blood lightly dotting his sleeve. He grimaced and sighed, as he continued, "That responsibility, is to take the mantle of the Fall Maiden."

"The Fall Maiden?" Cinder's stomach flipped. "But the Maidens are-"

"Fairy Tales, yes. But within every fairy tale, is truth."

"But how would I even become a Maiden?"

He chuckled softly. "The same way the first Maiden's did."

Cinder's stomach felt like a boomerang.

"For Generations my family have wielded the powers of the Wizard, passing on the powers of our four Maidens to those we believe worthy."

She swallowed hard. "How am I even remotely worthy?"

His eyes slowly moved to the ceiling before resting on her once more. He sighed and smiled.

"Hope, Bravery, Courage, and Compassion. The attributes that make the Fall Maiden. From the day your team formed, you've displayed them all."

"How can you be so sur-"

"Cinder." Glynda said softly, her pale green eyes locked on hers. "We've already decided. You can take the power or decline it, either way I'd also like you to assist me at Beacon."

"Assist you at Beacon?"

"Glynda will be taking over for me. She'll need an assistant." Ozpin smiled.

She glanced between the two and sighed heavily. "I've got nothing else to lose." She gently took hold of his hand. "I'll do them both."

He smiled warmly. "I'm proud of you. Good luck to you both."

He let go of Glynda's hand and reached into his coat pocket, producing an orange and silver amulet. "Glynda will take you to the chamber. This is your key." He said faintly.

Lightning cut through the clouds, leaving streaks of green lasting only seconds before fading.

Ozpin's tired eyes looked to the skies and sighed heavily. "It seems my time has come." He looked to Cinder and wrapped his arms around her. "Good luck ."

"You too old man." She forced out between quiet sobs.

He turned to Glynda and smiled. "I love you."

"Forever and Always." She said softly.

He leaned forward and planted a final kiss upon her forehead before the warmth left him, and he fell limp. The long sustained ringing of the monitor flatlining filled the room, summoning the nearby nurses.

A sickening smile spread across her porcelain face. Razor sharp teeth glistened with saliva that hung loosely like vines along ancient trees. A long, thin, tongue danced across her teeth as she wiped away her last meal.

" _The Wizard is dead, and now is the time_." She hissed gleefully. Her body twisted and contorted violently as she changed, she wouldn't want to scare the clientele of course.

 **Hey guys, sorry if it's been confusing with these updates, been trying to find a version I like best for the story and I'm thinking I finally found it, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, leave your comments and reviews below, if you have questions don't be afraid to ask, and with that, I leave you with the information that Orcas are not whales but infact the largest species of porpoise. Interesting huh?**


	5. Chapter 5: Dead Man Rising

**1 Year Later.**

The moons light danced and rolled atop calm waves, lapping at the smooth concrete invaders with careless abandon. At this time of the year, two full moons came as the sign of a good harvest for the fisheries, and safe travels between cities, and would be met with joy and celebration, but tonight, the moons ghostly visage only brought apprehension and anxiety.

Usually he would never consider the docks an option, but ever since the news broke, and people had seen it with their own eyes, not only the docks, but the beaches, lakes and rivers had all been nearly abandoned. He couldn't blame anyone for wanting to stay away, not when he'd finally seen why.

Vale's seasons weren't very different from the other Kingdoms, they had Summer, Spring, Fall, and Winter all the same as the others, but what made them unique was what they came to call a "SuperSeason" or "Blanket Season", a season of pure rain, that covered both Winter and Spring in their entirety. During the SuperSeason, the warmer southern currents began to wrap around the coast, colliding with the approaching cold northern, creating a form of perpetual super hurricane that lasted months.

He'd seen the storms approach many times in his life, he'd experienced the storms as well. In his younger years he had wondered if it ever stopped raining, with every visit, a constant unending deluge of both frigid and warm rain would suffocate the streets and sidewalks. To their credit though, the citizens of Vale never seemed to be bothered by the downpour.

' _Tough bastards, for humans._ ' He remembered his father once saying, surprising even his mother with the remark.

The thunderous crack of lightning woke him from his thoughts, as his caramel eyes focused on the beast that stalked the horizons for as far as he could see.

Volcanic black clouds engulfed the horizon, blanketing the vicious rolling waves beneath in near their pitch black shadows, the occasional flash of the the storms claws would briefly illuminate the coming onslaught in an eerie red glow, an imposing and booming roar escaping the dark predator close behind it's fearsome claws.

Fennec had never seen such a storm, nor heard of one, but what worried him and the other citizens the most, is that it stumped even the most brilliant minds around the world.

"Brother?" His siblings voice chirped through his radio.

"What is it?"

"We've found the containers at the south end, we'll meet you at the east gate after we get the loot."

"Got it, see you in five."

He glanced at the dockmaster's tiny building, as if making sure it hadn't moved when he'd been lost in his thoughts.

 _Five minutes, should be enough to smoke one real quick._ He thought to himself.

He pulled a small wood box from his jacket and popped it open.

"Atlesian Cigars." Came a voice.

He spun around, shutting the box as he scanned his surroundings.

"Y'know those are some of the best on the market." The voice called out.

As he glanced around him, his eyes caught a glimmer of something strange between two nearby containers.

A small flame, flickering proudly in the darkness.

His eyes remained fixated on the light as it extinguished, then reignited with a faint click.

 _A lighter_. He realized.

Then he noticed something that made his blood pressure sky rocket. The light was slowly getting closer, accompanied by the clicks of boots.

"You see, they do this really cool shit with it." It was obvious now the voice came from whoever held the lighter.

"They take about a gram of ice dust, and half a gram of fire dust, and they infuse the tobacco with it."

He felt himself unconsciously begin reaching for his weapon as the voice got closer.

"Then, they infuse half a gram of electric dust into this leather that they soak in bourbon for three days, and bake dry."

Red light flashed across the dock, revealing the stranger for a split second.

 _No, please no, we were careful!_ He begged.

"And those happen to be." The voice paused.

The figure stepped into the moons light, his fire-orange hair slightly reflecting it. A pair of Green eyes shimmered as they glared venom into his soul.

"Please, let us go and I'll give you the cigars, I'll call off my guys, I'll get a real job, anything, just let us live." Fennec stammered pleadingly.

The man grimaced. "You trash are all the same. I don't do bargains." He growled.

His toothy grin shattered as a once long forgotten pain consumed him. Hot tears welled in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. His strength left him instantly and he quickly found himself on his knees, sobbing uncontrollably. "Fennec!" He wailed.

"Corsac, what the fuck's wrong?!"

"Fennec." He choked out. "He's gone."

"What do you mean gone?"

"He means _gone_." A voice called out.

In the agonizing pain of loss, Corsac found himself only able to watch as a man with green eyes and orange hair slaughtered his friends.

He knew he was next, and he knew he couldn't do a damn thing about it. Every criminal knew it. If you aren't careful, _he_ will show up. And if he does, there is no escape, there is only death.

He sighed, grimacing at his handiwork. There was no hatred in his eyes, not for his victims, only remorse and regret. This was his task, and he couldn't escape it.

As his adrenaline burned away, a dull ache grew in his shoulder. He pulled his shirt aside and sighed.

"Are we thankful we aren't wearing white anymore yet?" _Her_ voice asked.

"I wouldn't consider it thankful."

"What would you consider it?"

He pondered it a moment, a faint smirk growing. "Faint toleration with an underlying hint of anger."

She was silent a moment. "Come home, I have needs of your _other_ talents."

"Yes Mistress." He complied irritably.

As she broke her connection she roared in anger, slamming her fist upon her chair. "I've given him everything he's asked for! Why does he still resist me!?"

Her head fell into her hands and she rubbed her temples, letting her mind and emotions cool. Then a realization hit her. "Of course. _Her_." She hissed. Her blood boiled momentarily at the thought of Beacon's newest _professor_. "If she dies, he will be mine. Truly mine." She grinned. "I will have your head-"

"- Professor Cinder Fall, report to my office." Glynda's booming voice said over the schools loudspeakers.

She sighed and looked to her class, a forced smile failing at concealing her temper.

"Professor Fall, does this mean we won't be doing the exam?" One of her students, a young blonde boy who reminded her of a camp counselor, asked.

"No Jaune, we won't be. Please pack your things, class is dismissed for today." She announced through gritted teeth.

She grabbed her personal effects and left quickly, passing through the main hall, finding it be filled with quite a few more students than usual.

Her eyes skimmed through the swaths of students as she strode through, her eyes stopping on a white Atlesian coat in the elevator, her blood pressure rising.

The pain had returned, the unmistakably familiar white hot intensity of the Grimm's fangs buried deep in his shoulder as it tore his arm from the socket with its immense claws. Anyone else would have collapsed in agony, screaming and convulsing, but James Ironwood had lived with this pain for fifty years. His doctor and shrink called it "Phantom Limb", to him it was an all too real hell. For the first few months he'd scream and thrash in his sleep as he'd relive the nightmare over and over again, every night losing his arm again, every night falling deeper into despair. The prosthetic didn't help either, bringing only memories of what once had been. His depression grew more with every day, spreading like a tumor. Eventually his wife left him, taking their son with her. He'd lose them again months later when a drunk driver careened off the road, killing their son instantly, his wife being left to bleed out in the street before help could arrive.

He gently caressed the aching metal, his eyes resting on his wedding ring. He'd never taken it off, Ozpin swore it couldn't be healthy, but what did he know?

A deep sigh rolled through him as his thoughts drifted to the man he considered family.

He smiled as the memory of their first meeting came to mind. That smile faltered when a slender hand stopped the elevator's doors.

"James, could you open the door?" A familiar voice requested.

He clicked the button, his smile returning as he recognized Cinder Fall.

" , wonderful to see you again." He said heartily.

She chuckled, "Same to you, what's it been? A week?" She half joked.

"Sadly not even half." He sighed.

Her smile faded to a grimace as she sighted the approaching maelstrom.

"It's a peculiar one isn't it?" He asked softly.

"Peculiar doesn't even begin to describe it. First our usual storm drops off the radar, then this fucking thing appears a thousand miles south. Even stranger it crossed the ocean in two days and just stops a few miles off the harbor."

"Not to mention the effect it's had on the Grimm." James added.

She looked up at him, her brows furrowed. "What effect?"

"Glynda hasn't told you?"

She shook her head in response.

"They're getting bolder around the mountains, it even seems some of the more secluded of the beast have traveled here. It's almost like they're planning something."

Her eyes narrowed as she turned to the glass. "But what?"

Glynda barely glanced as they strode in, her eyes focused on the holographic screens that adorned her desk. Beside her was Leo Lionheart, an ancient man who's fantastical hair resembled that of his namesake, a thick and well combed beard completing the ensemble, but despite his outwardly stoic and intimidating appearance, Cinder had come to find the man was every bit a coward as one would consider a worm to be, though in her opinion a worm displayed more bravery than Haven's headmaster.

"Take a seat." Glynda told them, her tone harsh.

The screens enlarged and glided to the center of the room, the morning news paused, it's tagline reading "Eight men found brutally murdered in East Wharf".

"He's struck again." Glynda announced.

"How are we so sure?" Ironwood asked. "It could have been a gangwar."

"Initially the police believed so too, until little over an hour ago when detective Schnee paid me a visit."

"Schnee? So is Branwen here too?" Cinder asked, half joking.

"Why yes I am." A rough voice replied. The tall figure of Qrow Branwen stalked into the room, the pale, slender, figure of Detective "Schnee" following close behind.

"Detectives, if you will, inform my associates of what you found."

Winter held out two tan envelopes for Cinder and James, bold red letters reading "Confidential" adorning their front faces.

Qrow cleared his throat and began, "As you know for the past four months, someone has been killing criminals. At first we assumed gang violence, as the victims were all members of the local racially insensitive, violent, and drug based gangs. We ran with our assumption, attempting to meet with a few well known gang's representatives, each turning us down till we got to the Blue Fangs. We set up a deal with their leader Tuckson. The night before we got to speak with him though, he and his entire gang were killed in an explosion on forty fourth street."

"Which you guys called a gas leak." Cinder commented.

"Turns out it wasn't. Forensics found what we've linked the killings to. Atlesian Cigars. As we know these are a popular kind around Vale, with all the bigwigs smoking up their offices with the damned cancer tubes, so on their own we can't exactly build a case. But last night, whoever this guy is got sloppy. We captured a still image of him."

Cinder pulled the image from the folder and her blood ran cold.

"We're going to try and use facial recognition to identify h-" The sound of papers slapping the floor interrupted him.

All eyes landed on Cinder who had gone ghostly white, tears welling in her eyes.

"Cinder?" Glynda hurriedly stood and moved to the young professor.

"Glynda it's him." Cinder choked.

"Who?"

"Roman."

The man in the image glared down at young faunus. A thick beard adorned his face, thinning to light stubble as it met his hair, short and spiked forward. His eyes a piercing green. A form fitting black shirt covered by a thin vest replaced his white coat, making him appear like some sort of action hero, but despite his new "style" the man was undoubtedly the man she had buried a year prior. Roman Torchwick had returned, a Dead Man Walking.

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter everyone, leave your feedback below, I hope to get the next chapter out within the new two weeks, maybe three, till then enjoy.**


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